Deciding is the hardest part
How long do we spend wondering about something, before we do it? I’m willing to bet that the thoughts about what we should do, what we think we can do, or want to do, take a great deal of headspace in our lives, especially when we live and work for ourselves and by ourselves a lot of the time. But what if we were simply to go ahead and do stuff, without thinking about whether we should, all the time?
How long would it take, for example, to think of a plot for a story, with a beginning, middle and end? It could take forever, and be our excuse for never actually picking up a pen, or setting down to type. It’s a fallacy that things have to be perfect before we start. The trick is to allow ourselves the freedom to make mistakes, to experiment, to make a start at something, because every small action forward is better than any number of theories and grand hopes. It is normal to try twenty things and only one of them ‘works out’. That is how we discover what we really want to do. Everything we are brave enough to attempt is valuable.
Perhaps I feel really strongly about this because, if I want to go out and do things, I have to really decide, and discipline myself to just do it. If I didn’t, I’d still be sitting in that comfortable window seat over there, reading books and wondering when I was going to do something with my life.
When we make a decision to do something, that is when we should feel proudest of ourselves, really. Because, as every tired worker knows, deciding is the hardest part of life, whether that be to write a book, bake a cake or learn to drive a car.
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November 12, 2016
Deciding is the hardest part
Fran Macilvey 'Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy', Fran Macilvey, Path To Publication, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing, Women's fiction and chic lit 0 Comments
Deciding is the hardest part
How long do we spend wondering about something, before we do it? I’m willing to bet that the thoughts about what we should do, what we think we can do, or want to do, take a great deal of headspace in our lives, especially when we live and work for ourselves and by ourselves a lot of the time. But what if we were simply to go ahead and do stuff, without thinking about whether we should, all the time?
How long would it take, for example, to think of a plot for a story, with a beginning, middle and end? It could take forever, and be our excuse for never actually picking up a pen, or setting down to type. It’s a fallacy that things have to be perfect before we start. The trick is to allow ourselves the freedom to make mistakes, to experiment, to make a start at something, because every small action forward is better than any number of theories and grand hopes. It is normal to try twenty things and only one of them ‘works out’. That is how we discover what we really want to do. Everything we are brave enough to attempt is valuable.
Perhaps I feel really strongly about this because, if I want to go out and do things, I have to really decide, and discipline myself to just do it. If I didn’t, I’d still be sitting in that comfortable window seat over there, reading books and wondering when I was going to do something with my life.
When we make a decision to do something, that is when we should feel proudest of ourselves, really. Because, as every tired worker knows, deciding is the hardest part of life, whether that be to write a book, bake a cake or learn to drive a car.
Please share: